SAG Denies Variety's Latest Fabrication

EXCLUSIVE: The Screen Actors Guild is furious over Variety‘s erroneous report tonight that the guild “may agree to the majors’ request to send out their final offer to the 120,000 guild members at the end of July.” I’m told by one insider, “It’s bullshit, especially the headline.” That started out “SAG to send offer to members” until it was changed after complaints to the equally misleading “SAG may send offer to it’s members”. Said another source, “Absolutely not true at this time. Irresponsible reporting.” The article also makes false assertions that SAG has stalled the negotiations — ridiculous since it’s now the AMPTP’s turn to respond to SAG’s counter-offer. This is yet another example of the trade writer Dave McNary making up a story about the guild negotiations that has no basis in reality, just like he did repeatedly during the WGA strike. And his inaccuracies are always aimed at stirring the pot in favor of the Big Media moguls, and against the guild leaders who fight for better contract terms. Really, when is this nonsense going to stop? As I’ve noted over and over, Variety writes what the moguls tell it because it’s so dependent on them for advertising. It’s like a parasite clinging to its host – and just as disgusting.

9 Comments

As soon as I saw the headlines on the email I get every morning, I knew this was coming.

I still don’t get why they would do such a stupid move that would automatically be refuted by SAG immediately.

All SAG has to do is wait and see. Let the AMPTP come to them with a new offer.

RazorHawk • on Jul 14, 2008 11:00 pm

It’s too bad you missed the original version of that Variety article. The first posted draft was titled “SAG to send offer to members”.

It was only after I posted a comment about how deceptive the article title was that they changed it to its current title “SAG may send offer to it’s members”

I pointed out in my comment (on the Variety page) that the story itself said that SAG had made no decision yet and was not meeting until a week from this upcoming Saturday to discuss the subject (which was also stated in the article).

An hour and a half later after I posted my comment (the first attached to that article), Variety altered the article’s title to what you read.

Mika • on Jul 14, 2008 11:00 pm

Wow. Imagine if this thing was getting in any way shape or form, similar coverage to the WGA impasse leading up to and through the strike. I have definitely noticed McNary as an AMPTP shill. What irresponsible fucking bullshit. Get it right you hack. I read that late yesterday in Variety, and my spirits really sank. Then, I noticed it wasn’t here, or in the Hollywood Reporter, and I thought, Hmmm. But, I figured maybe the suits gave him a scoop since he’s closest to them (in their ass).

Hey SAG members? Why don’t we all just grow some balls, and let our elected leaders know we support them and are willing to strike if necessary? That might make their job (getting us a better deal) a little easier.

That’s right, I’m not a card-carrying member of any of your guilds. Former Teamster, got my withdrawal card and all, that’s another story.

Instead, I’m just a member of your paying public, you know, the audience. You do remember who really pays the bills, don’t you?

So, if you want to be successful in this labor disagreement, you need to get the audience on your side. You have a HUGE advantage, as currently, corporate America, hell, any corporation or mogul, is not exactly the love muffin of the masses.

In this respect, you have a couple of options.

The YouTube thing is good, gets all the ‘connected people’, etc. Still a rather limited audience. My own opinion runs more to the ‘get national news coverage’ option. Nothing dangerous or violent, mind you.

Get a parade permit for Hollywood Boulevard or another similar venue. Sure, it might take a couple of weeks, but this thing doesn’t look like it’s gonna be done tomorrow. Try to time it to coincide with the Comic-Con in San Diego. Get the fanboys to come out and march there, all done up in their Klingon/Jedi Knight/Hellboy costumes.

If you can get all the WGA/DGA/IASTE/Teamster members who are talking about how much they support you to get out there and parade with the SAG crew, then you’ll have it made. You’ll get national news coverage, if you have more than 150 people there. IF you have at least 5% of your guild march, then about 7,000 people would show up, not including other groups.

LOOK AT IT AS BEING A REFERENDUM ON THE VOTE YOU HAVEN’T BEEN ABLE TO HAVE YET!

You can’t lose with the parade idea.

EVERYBODY LOVES A PARADE!

IF you get a contract and ratify it, then you can have the parade in honor of going back to work and everybody parties!
OR
IF you don’t have a contract by the time of the parade, then you get to show your solidarity, grab some news coverage, make the public aware of your situation and STILL get to party!

My apologies, but work here at the farm will probably keep me from attending. Bills to pay, you know. If, however, one of the A-listers wants to sponsor this poor scribe, I’ll be glad to show up and bring Thor with me. Nothing like a German Shepherd/Husky mix to intimidate a suit! Thor would love to ride the crane!

YOU HAVE TO GET THE TICKET BUYING PUBLIC TO SUPPORT YOU!

Once you do that, the AMPTP will have to get serious.

McBitchy • on Jul 14, 2008 11:00 pm

“SAG may send offer to it’s members”? Forget about factual reporting, how about someone teach these halfwits the difference between “it’s” and “its.”

victoria • on Jul 14, 2008 11:00 pm

Article may not be accurate, but my first thought was “Mmmmm, isn’t this an interesting way for SAG officials to save face.” Send it to the members without endorsement and then if it passes (which it would cause everyone is in a panic about the economy),then hey it’s not mgmt’s fault, you the members of SAG voted yes.

Dave McNarry’s reporting during the WGA strike was as biased, inaccurate, and corrupt as journalism in North Korea. I’m surprised McNarry doesn’t refer to Zucker and Chernin as “Dear Leader” in his articles. McNarry is a disgrace.

writer • on Jul 14, 2008 11:00 pm

Who could still be surprised that that AMPTP PR rag, Variety, prints lies and half truths all designed to make their masters appear in a better position than they actually are? Everyone I know in the WGA stopped getting the worthless waste of paper delivered during the strike.

If anyone is surprised about that, well, all I can say is that’s a bit like Captain Renault being “shocked, just shocked” that there was gambling at Rick’s Cafe.

Consider:

In 1993 Peter Bart famously apologized to Paramount Pictures when they threatened to pull all the studio’s advertising from the paper because they (Paramount execs) objected to a negative film review of “Patriot Games” in Variety. (The execs hilariously accused reviewer Joseph McBride of having a “pro-Irish” bias.)

Also, the New York Times pointed out five years ago that Daily Variety and The Hollywood Reporter took in $42 million in revenue for those studio-paid “For Your Consideration” ads running up to the Oscars (representing the bulk of their annual revenue.) That might be good for business but it hardly makes for vigorous, independent journalism.

When I confronted Bart about this during the WGA strike (actually I was questioning, among other things, why one particularly egregious article had nine anonymous pro-WGA quotes and not one single source from the WGA side) he said my position was “bullshit.” Colorful, but not a fact-based refutation. Because the fact are not on his side.